RIVERSIDE,
Calif. - All
nine Regals runners recorded new personal marks, shattering previous results by as much as two minutes at Saturday's UC Riverside Invite.
Results: UC Riverside Invite
Competing on the college 6k invite course for the first time, Cal Lutheran ended its morning in 17th place against a
challenging field containing teams from all collegiate divisions.
Loyola Marymount recorded the fastest individual time, and lowest team average to claim both titles at the UC Riverside Farm Course.
The first
CLU harrier to cross the finish line was Toccoa Kahovec, earning a 44th place finish after completing the distance
in 21:50.6. The time was a 42-second improvement
from her previous personal best recorded at the 2010 NCAA Championships.
Kahovec was not the only CLU runner to experience a substantial level of individual success in Riverside as a collection of harriers that include freshmen Amanda Miller
(23:03.6), Taelor Young (23:13.7), and sophomore Ashley Frese (24:37.4) outran their previous 6k records by 60 seconds or more.
Competing in their first-ever collegiate meet at
the 2011 Cal State Fullerton Season Opener two weeks ago, Saturday's results were 1:17 and
1:33 faster in comparison for Miller and Young.
Prior to arriving in Riverside, Frese also recorded her fastest performance in Fullerton; unlike her freshmen teammates, Frese's best mark took place during last year's season opener. As was the case with Miller and Young, Frese has a new goal to surpass as her new personal best surpasses her previous one by 1:43.
Miller, Young, and Frese finished Riverside's course in 23:03.6, 23:13.7, and 24:37 respectively.
But it was
senior Caitlin Coomber who turned in the most impressive run of the morning,
obliterating her previous best set at the 2009 NCAA Regionals by over two
minutes with her time of 24:26.5.
Also setting
new career marks that were 12, 35, and 55 seconds faster than their previous times were sophomores Natalie Bullock (24:19.9), Jess Infald (24:46.4), and senior
Jenn Chun (26:45.1).
Participating
in her inaugural collegiate meet for the Regals, freshman Chelsea Feller ended
her morning with a time of 24:05.9.
The Regals
next meet will take place on October 1 in Claremont, Calif. at the
Pomona-Pitzer Invite.
